2012 and Planet X News Blog

Gustav is making a slow exit, about to become a Tropical Storm,  as Hannah strengthens. September 1st, 2008 ·

Hurricane Gustav is now a Category 1 Hurricane, weakening rapidly but he has wind gusts of  75 mph, intermittent winds and torrential rain when the the bands come around.

There is still considerable hazard in the area from downed power lines and levees. There is still a lot of work going on by the Army corps of Engineers  with heavy equipment and and volunteers with sandbags, etc.  cooperating with local government officials.

The evacuees are wanting to come back but it could be a few days probably, partly because here is still an intense search and rescue going on for some ten thousand people who did not evacuate….Officials cite such hazards continuing at this time from such as flooding and future flooding, tornado, electrical and building failures.   Data  from CNN News P.M. September 01, 2008

Below are portions of NOAA discussions of Gustav and Hannah, 7 P.M. Monday September 01, 2008:  http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml

Gustav is a category One Hurricane. The maximum winds are 75 mph Forward speed is near 14 mph. Direction northwest.

Here is part of a NWS Discussion from 5 P.M.  Hannah is now a Category One Hurricane with maximum winds 80 mph, 978 millobars of pressure. Located near the Bahamas, 21/8 N 72.5W.

Hurricane Hannah may be making landfall by Thursday on the southeastern U.S.

- Barbara Lou Townsend

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http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml   

Advisory on Hurricane GUSTAV

The outer winds from hurricane Gustav have been crashing into the southern Louisiana coast since about 3:30 A.M.  - the wee hours of September first 2008 -  but two million residents of Coastal Louisiana and New Orleans did not stick around to experience this dangerous event. In what appears to be a successful evacuation - probably the largest one in U.S. history - the whole area virtually packed up and left.

7 A.M. Update: Update: Louisiana governor says some 10,000 people did not evacuate.

Louisiana’s Governor Jindal supervised the evacuation, in which hundreds of buses were made available to those who couldn’t drive out, nursing home residents, the elderly and children, got priority.  Provisions were made for pets, unlike the Katrina evacuation.

As CNN News and the Weather channel keep an all night vigil over a deserted New Orleans the first wind gusts of 75 miles per hour winds were measured,  about 3:30  A.M.  The eye of Hurricane Gustav will not officially make landfall for awhile yet, but the local residents aren’t going to wait for him. Except for a few hundred “holdouts” who have “seen it all before and feel they can weather the storm,” the city is deserted. There is a bar in town open - and a spirit of merriment and a few people intending to wait out the storm. They were warned to leave, but authorities have not forced them to go.

Meanwhile, military Humvees and police cars are the only vehicles in sight. A few stragglers were still leaving as of 2 A.M. Central Time.  Adjacent coastal cities are nearly empty too.  A curfew is in effect.  It was announced on CNN news  that a lone OB Gyn is on duty, intending to deliver any babies who arrive this morning. News crews will take shelter soon.  ………….

This is submitted 5:50 A.M. Eastern Time, and of course the situation is changing rapidly. Portions of a  CNN News story - from about 4 A.M.  - is below.

Barbara Lou Townsend

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http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/09/01/gustav/index.html 

The Gulf Coast awaits:  Will it be another Katrina?

 By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and MARY FOSTER, Associated Press Writer

 Monday September 1st, 2008

Hurricane Gustav charged toward the largely deserted coast of Louisiana early Monday morning, but appeared destined to make landfall to the west of a city still recovering three years after Katrina’s devastating blow.

Those who heeded the days of warnings to get out watched from shelters and hotel rooms hundreds of miles away, praying the powerful Category 3 storm and its 115-mph winds would pass without the same deadly toll.  In all, nearly 2 million people left south Louisiana, as did tens of thousands from coastal Mississippi, Alabama and southeastern Texas.

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